This post is to be filed under a new section I will be opening up in the next couple of weeks to direct migrants wannabe straight to the dynamics instead of having them wading them through the miasma here. I'll call the new section A Singaporean Son's Rogue Immigration Methods (ASSRIM). I will be covering all aspects of my migration experience in detail. Some of the relevant past postings will be linked to the ASSRIM archive.
One aspect that our Singaporean friends seem to ignore is the mental management of their own migration projects. I will take this opportunity to stress that mental management is crucial and should take up a large chunk of your preparatory time. There are many areas in mental management that you should have covered even before you figure out how to lodge a proper application to migrate to your respective destinations. To list some (I'll elaborate in future posts), family ties, the pressure your family may face from relatives, friends relationships, pets, neighbours, colleagues, bosses and even your nosy government.
In this post, I'll just brief you on some possible titles you may be granted by people who love you when you step out of your home soil, if you are lucky enough. Presenting, Top Ten Bestowable Titles for Overseas Singaporeans, not in chronological order, and accompanying brief notes.
Quitter
Let's just start off with something we are most familiar with, bestowed by Emeritus Goh Chok Tong some years ago. Here, it meant that you have given up on your country, which is undesirable. You are not a worthy Singaporean, whether you still hold a red passport or not.
Deserter
You left when the country needs you most. You slipped away while your brothers are fighting. You have no honor, no fighting spirit and you deserve to be shamed, humiliated before execution. In any case, don't come back, we don't want to waste resources hanging you.
Abandoner
You are unfilial. You abandon your parents, your church and your teachers. You should be struck by lightning.
Failure
In Singaporean context, you cannot make it (CMI). That's why you chose to leave. Because you CMI, that's why. Which means you are a failure, because you CMI and that is why you left Singapore. I think you get the point.
Weakling
It is one thing that you CMI. The reason why you CMI is because you are weak. You can not compete with locals and foreigners. You can't win any competition. You can't survive. You're weak. That is why you left.
Coward
Not staying and fighting the odds not only mean you are weak, it means you are a coward as well. You're scared. You cannot muster courage to rally on. We don't need a coward like you.
Ingrate
Your country of birth has given you so much and made you the person you are. But you left. You are an ingrate and an asshole. Get out and good riddance.
Escapist
You cannot face reality. You are impractical, irrelevant and impatient. The grass is not greener on the other side. You will be unhappy wherever you go because the problem is you, not your environment.
Traitor
You betrayed your country. You put self interests above the country's. You committed treason.
2nd Class Citizen
This one means you are now a 2nd Class Citizen somewhere in the world. You will be discriminated and marginalised in your adopted country. You will not enjoy First Class Citizen status like you did in Singapore anymore. You deserve it and you should be feeling miserable.
Other popular ones which can't make the Top 10 Chart yet: Lap Dog, Selfish, Foreign Talent etc.
Whahahah... WHATEVER! LOL! ;p M
ReplyDeleteLove this post! I've been bestowed several of the above titles. Whatever! IMHO, most important title is the one I bestow myself "Happy!" :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, I forgot to add another title from some Singaporeans seeking to emigrate too. They bestow upon me the title of "Lucky!" :-)
DeleteM, the Singaporeans Mum, said "Whatever!" You also said, "Whatever!"
DeleteThe Overseas Singaporeans who said, "Whatever!"
> The Overseas Singaporeans who said, "Whatever!"
DeleteHahah :) LIKE!
Yeah! Whatever.
DeleteOur choice
I feel like a prince frog coming out from the well exploring the true world.
True democracy and humane living environment.
I hate the term quitter! I left Singapore in 1970s, long before that term was coined.
ReplyDeleteUncle, don't take it to heart. For Singapore's policies, it takes effect on commencement only. It should work the same way for terminologies. So you are not a quitter. But many of us are.
DeleteI will never take the word "quitter" seriously especially coming from Goh CT(ex PM)
DeleteIf you look at how GohCT or LHL cheat and disadvantage the opposition using underhanded means, you wilL never respect what they say or have said.
My question to GohCT and PM Lee, didn't George Yeo, Lim Hwee Hua, etc capitulate after losing just one election, not forgetting the obscene advantage that was engineered in their favour? Is'nt this a prime example of what it takes to be a coward and a quitter? LOL
Knowing our PAP's good usage of terminologies in their favour, George Yeo retired from politics and Lim Hwee Hua seek new challenges in areas of her passion.
DeleteQuitter?------i shall return now and then,so that dont apply to me.
ReplyDeleteDeserter----country dont need me.they imported engineers from china,india,phillippines and burma when i was still there.They already shamed humiliated every sporean in ns didnt they?enough said.
Abandoner----brought folks with me using legal methods like a true genius.
Failure---CMI?if cannot make it then should be back in spore as oz and elsewhere dont accept cmi people too.
Weakling---cant be a weakling.weakling would only get N levels nia and end up pump petrol in spore.
Coward---a coward is one who retreats when provoked instantly.since u been there n fighting in a futile battle with more losses in hand,it is prudent and clever to leave the battlefield and flank them with limited resources u have and win the battle.:)
Ingrate
Your country of birth has given you so much and made you the person you are. But you left. You are an ingrate and an asshole. Get out and good riddance.
ans----was a great warrior ever made by his country?created in a lab or a gym?like rambo,they didnt created you.you were already like that ,they only chipped the lil pieces here n there.:)
Escapist
You cannot face reality. You are impractical, irrelevant and impatient. The grass is not greener on the other side. You will be unhappy wherever you go because the problem is you, not your environment.
ans-----i would think of a PR or citizenships as another cirrus,mastercard,visa thing.the more you have the more options in life ya got.thats more practical than a single atm giro card
Traitor
You betrayed your country. You put self interests above the country's. You committed treason.
ans:------ betray what?all the stuff i learnt were in spore from another country exported as business plans by another country from people from another land.didnt commit treason because there was no secrets to betray.its rather the other way round where the gov put self interests above the people.
2nd Class Citizen
This one means you are now a 2nd Class Citizen somewhere in the world. You will be discriminated and marginalised in your adopted country. You will not enjoy First Class Citizen status like you did in Singapore anymore. You deserve it and you should be feeling miserable
ans....i heard that b4,think its worse in spore.
recently i went for an interview at RWS
ReplyDeletethe interviewer told me she applied for immigration to australia n it was unsuccessful.
she tried to pour cold water on my inspiration to emigrate to australia in the near future.
well, i guess nix should open n new catergory for people who failed n urge them to try try n retry.
I will not urge Singaporeans to try and try. In fact I don't encourage Singaporeans to leave at all. Singapore needs you. Don't leave.
Deleteu mean your parents need you.all i know is spore doesnt need anyone.they cant control their policies and thus are not in full control of everything in spore.
Deletethat is why those who leave spore had better be those future factory owners who can build products or "invent" them from scratch using raw materials found in the said place of immigration.
that way they can create more jobs for own people and thus no regerts for all immigrating.why couldnt it be done in spore?perhaps their reservist remedial trainings along withwork took all the time needed to set up own factory and designs.
Don't let anyone steal your dream of migrating! Migration is not for the faint of heart .. dream on!
DeleteAs a country that was built by migrants, it is so strange that many people are critical of migration when it is clearly in the genes :)
ReplyDeletegoh choc tong only said quitter.his daughter was a quitter and never cointributed much to the GDP of spore.
Deletebut the other 100 or so names such as traitor,coward,weakling and perhaps
shova(stargate)even came from the normal sporean citizens and not by the spore gov.perhaps its a human psychology thing from the sporeans themselves from those who are unable to go anywhere and need to vent out their personal failures to those who could walk and do it on their own without assistance from anyone or lawyers.
if one could go to MIT,NASA or stanford university for an education,i wouldnt be surprised if neighbours who arent anywhere would snipe and bite when they meet.they may even kill their more fortunate brothers and sisters.
why do u think this planet is filled with anger,wars and sadness?its because of people who feel they shuld be even better than a nazi or even better than PAP without even being in that organisation.in the end they exercoise their rights to name calling one another and more.thats why u gots pol pot cambodia and japanese expansion in ww2 to nazi concentration aryan purification death camps.
they are non the wiser with education and work.God and fate has a position for these nasty humans right now.if they are meant to be in spore or elsewhere....they will be where they should be magically..
ReplyDeleteASSRIM? Well done!
ReplyDeletelemme see,
ReplyDeleteif you are 30 yrs old in singapore earn $3500 and take home $2500 pay,then
food:$250
transport:$200
pub bill:$300
misc:$100
remainder =$1650/mth
upon reaching 50 yrs old,u would have saved in spore $396,000 from take home pay alone.above 50 yrs old would be deemed unstable career due to foreign professionals and new career minded sporeans influx into workforce.
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if you are say 40 and earn sdame amount estimated to be $198,000 only.
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but what if u were to be in australia earn say average wage as a semi professional .that would be like $20/hr X 8hrs /day=$160/day
5 day week=$160X5=$800=$3200/mth
if you are 30 yrs old in australia earn $3200 and take home $2240 pay,then
food:$120/mth
transport:$200/mth
pub bill:$50
misc:$50
remainder =$1820/mth
upon reaching 50 yrs old,u would have saved in australia $436,800 from take home pay alone.above 50 yrs old would be deemed unstable career due to foreign professionals and new career minded sporeans influx into workforce
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what can you buy with $396,000in spore?
basically a small toyota car and the remainder payment for flat and a few plates of chicken rice.
now what can u buy with $436,000 in australia?for $350k a beautiful 4 room brick house with a big swimming pool in some places of oz. 1 mercedes with gold plated tyres and and enough placed in a bank to get interests.
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Very true!
DeleteI did some calculation as above too...
Then digged into my pockets and realized I have so little savings despite slogging as a professional. I was considered highly-paid employee or middle-income but never have the savings to earn so-called passive income. No investment and little savings which was eroded by inflation.
What was I doing these years and what did my earnings go to? With no branded goods around me, i realized I put some in insurance. I fear and I was convinced to buy some protection in case... No safety net. It is ok to be healthy wage-earner and contribute but it is disaster to fall really I'll.
Thank you all for enlightening me too! I do not feel alone now.
* once a professional ...
Deleteonce a professional.always a professional.same for drunks and scholars.
Deletehowever the below needs more investigation:
"what can you buy with $396,000in spore?
basically a small toyota car and the remainder payment for flat and a few plates of chicken rice."
ans:lets say smallest chery car goes for $98,000.Coe like $45,000.total would be close to $150,000 not including road tax and car insurance every year.so if u minus that from principal of $396,000,that gives u remainder of $246,000.roughly take away $200,000 for hdb payments and u get $46k.$46k placed in bank in fixed d in spore would get same amount as in oz if u know where to put it in and by crossing fingers.but then after 10 years the car value will be almost gone.so what do u have left at 50 in spore???we know car is gone upon 40 yrs of age ,so u havelike a flat and some $$$ in bank.but what if u were to skip the car?u would get $150,000+$46,000=$196,000.i know to some $196,000 sounds a lot but im kind of frightened because it sounds somehwat tiny in spore where a car is $150,000 and where fixed d are only allowed 6 mths at a time.somehow even with $200,000 i still dun feel secure in spore.
When I tendered my resignation last year, to migrate to Melbourne, this is what one of my managers said to me:
ReplyDelete"Everything in Australia is expensive, living cost is very high, you are very difficult to get a job there..pls think twice.."
And, some of my colleagues said to me:
"you sure or not..very dangerous leh.. OZ is very racist. My auntie is in Sydney, she says, it is very terrible..."
ok, that's all to share with my fellow singaporeans..:)
- Jack
why u think they havent progressed over 3 decades?no one in right mind is going to help these racist greedy bastards.if u know how to build and design things,best dont let them see it.high chance they will monopolise your very own company u created and leave you old and penniless.
DeleteJack,
DeleteDun ever letthose dream stealers stop u from doing the great move forward.
U prefer to be a country with six million people meh?
To my work colleague LBT..... NEH to you, understand????
So what happened then? I guess all of their predictions came true huh?
ReplyDeleteMy ex-colleague tried to scare me into not migrating with his tales of racist attacks in Oz ...hahahahah ...
ReplyDeleteBT, if you are reading this, neh to you, understand???
Here's my title they could not bestow upon me, whether locally or overseas:
ReplyDeleteMyself.
I'm a malaysian currently working as manufacturing manager earning comfortable five figure income with fully paid house , maid and so on with couple of investments here and there.
ReplyDeleteAfter calculating the amount needed for my children uni fees i dont think with my current savings im able to retire comfortably and maybe need to continue working after age 60. Working life here is really not balance at all. When you go for a holiday or you go off early after work perception is that you are not working hard enough.
After first hand experience in Perth myself i'm taking the plunge by applying for PR. God willing if everything goes smoothly i should be there in 2014.
With an open mind and willingness to adapt to situation guess surviving in a new environment should be no problem.
It is only in times of adversity the stronger person prevails.
People tend to ask me what the hell am i doing why am i sacrificing career and taking a high risk in a new world.
Well i dont have a conclusive answer to that, its just that if i dont do it now then i would not stand a chance to change my lifestyle.
never in my life been so happy until i migrated to Melbourne :)
ReplyDelete1 year 5 months more to go before i can apply for Australian citisenship!
woooohoooo.....